Increasing incidents of massive damage to in-service optical fiber multipair cable have generated an urgent need for a reliable, quick and easy-to-use, low-toss temporary repair splice. Instances of the need for such a splice arise also in restoring fiber service in the loop plant and in LANs.
Existing optical fiber splicing connectors do not, however, achieve an optimum combination of low cost, ease of use, and reliability of result. Current optical fiber splices, for example, occasionally include means such as capillary tubes to assist in containing and precisely aligning the fiber ends in a splice. These typically are expensive or require complex or objectionable tooling to install.
A particular disadvantage of prior art repair splices is their susceptibility to misalignment of the fiber ends if the splice environment is subject to wide ranges of temperatures.
As optical fibers are deployed at an increasingly rapid pace in replacing wire or coaxial cable transmission media, the time is rapidly approaching when fibers will find important applications in the home. At that time an acute need will arise for inexpensive, reliable fiber splices which are adapted either to temporary or permanent service.
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide an optical fiber splice that can be produced inexpensively.
Another object of the invention is to create a splice connector which permits the application of the necessary index-matching fluid with little time and effort.
A further object of the invention is to effectively combine the fiber-aligning capability of the precision glass capillary tube, with a simple, effective means for temporarily housing the tube.
A further object of the invention is to provide an optical fiber splice which can serve as a temporary re-joining of severed fibers while having the capability to perform as a permanent splice as well.
A further object of the invention is to create a temporary optical fiber splice substantially resistant to the effect of thermal cycling which causes misalignment of fiber ends in a splice.